On the Rumanian and Sardinian Treatment of Latin qua and gua

Author(s): Robert L. Politzer

Source: Modern Language Notes , Nov., 1953, Vol. 68, No. 7 (Nov., 1953), pp. 487-489
Published by: The Johns Hopkins University Press

Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/3043665

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 TREATMENT OF LATIN QUA AND GUA 487

ON THE RUMANIAN AND SARDINIAN TREATMENT

OF LATIN QUA AND GUA

Sardinian and Rumanian are the two Romance tongues which

share the peculiarity of preserving under certain conditions the
labial element of qua and gua at the expense of the velar stop:
quattuor > Rumanian patru, Logudorese batturo; equa > Rumanian
iapa, Logudorese ebba; lingua > Rom. limba, Log. limba. In
Sardinian the development of qu > b was originally, at least,
possible in all positions,1 in Rumanian it seems that the develop-
ment occurs only in intervocalic position. In initial position we
find qualis > care, quando > cand, quantum > cat. The aforemen-
tioned patru is probably an exception to be explained by syntactical
phonetics: the final vowel of the preceding word puts the group into
intervocalic position in the sentence.2
The above-mentioned similarity of Rumanian and Sardinian has
been discussed by many scholars, whose views were summarized
by M. L. Wagner in his Historische Lautlehre des Sardischen.3
They can be divided into two camps: some like Attilio iortis, S.
Pubcariu, F. Schiirr, V. Pisani argue for a connection between the
Sardinian and Runmanian phenomena and for Oscan-Umbrian in-
fluence, since both Oscan and Umbrian preserve the labial element
of Indo-European labialized velars (Latii quod, but Oscan pud,
Umbrian pure 4). Others like W. Mleyer-Liibke or M. L. Wagner
himself, argue against the substratum and for phonetically similar
but unrelated developments.
In this note we shall point out that the developments can best
be explained independently from each other, with reference to other
developments occurring within the structure of Sardinian and
Rumanian. Both the Sardinian and Rumanian developments pre-

'Max L. Wagner, Historische Lautlehre des Sardischen (Halle, 1941),

p. 269 and p. 135 ff. Preservation of post consonantal y& was possible in
Sardinian also before other vowels than a: old Sardinian documents, for
instance, show samben (sanguen), Imbirieu (Quiricus).
2A. Bourciez, Elements de linguistique romane, 4th ed. (Paris, 1946),
p. 557.
3 See Wagner, op. cit., pp. 268 ff.
'C. D. Buck, A Grammar of Oscan and Umbrian (Boston, 1904), p. 94.

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488 MODERN LANGUAGE NOTES, NOVEMBER, 1953

suppose that before the a vowel the labial element was more stable
than before other vowels, and the ku and gy combinations before
these vowels were thus treated as a cluster k + ff or g + t, which
after the consonantization of u to v became a cluster k + v or
g + v.
The treatment of the second element of this cluster depends on
the rest of the consonant structure: Sardinian does not know a
contrast b/v. The consonants b and v merge into the b phoneme
(initially pronounced with full stop, intervocalically with relaxed
occlusion).5 Thus the strengthening of the labial element was
brought about by the fact that within the consonantal pattern it
could be interpreted only as the b phoneme. It is of interest to
note, in this connection, that the other languages in which a
similar strengthening of the labial element occurs also lacked voiced
continuants as opposed to voiced stops in their consonant pattern.
This is true about Oscan and Umbrian, and about Ancient Greek
(IE gu > b in flios). The change of u to b in Archaic Latin
(duonum > bonum) can also be mentioned in this connection. As
far as the loss of the stop element (k) in quattuor> battoro is
concerned, the Sardinian tendency toward lenization of Latin un-
voiced stops may have played a role.- The intervocalic development
qu > bb shows the progressive assimilation (kv > kb > bb), which
one would expect within the Sardinian pattern.
In Rumanian the situation is somewhat different. There b and
v are preserved initially, but they do generally merge after the
liquids: alba > alba, servire > $erbi.7 The same rule evidently
governs the outcome of gu to b in lingua> limba. The second
element of the g + v cluster joins the b phoneme. The develop-
ment of k7u is determined by different factors: most scholars seem
to think that the p of apa- < aqua, patru < quattuor, etc. is the
reflex of the Latin labial element. I submit that it is most likely
the reflex of the Latin k. Rumanian replaces Latin k by p in any
intervocalic consonant cluster of which k is the first element:
lactem > lapte, coxa (coksa) > coapsa, etc. Whatever the reason
for this much discussed k > p shift may be, it accounts for the

"Wagner, op. cit., pp. 95 ff.

"G. Rohlfs, Historische Grammatik der Italienischen Sprache, Vol. I
(Bern, 1950), p. 337.
X H. Tiktin, Rumdnisches Blementarbuch (Heidelberg, 1905), pp. 54-56.

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 TREATMENT OF LATIN QUA AND GUA 489

development of qua in Rumanian: the labial element of the qua

cluster was stable enough to force the treatment of the preceding
k as first element of aii intervocalic cluster: -kw-> -kv- or -kb-
and from there to *-pb-. Since a -pb-cluster is generally quite
difficult to maintain, and a geminate is not possible within the
Rumanian pattern, the p outcome is thus to be expected.
The Rumanian and Sardinian treatment of the labialized velars
are thus related neither to each other nor to Oscan or Umbrian.
What they do have in common with each other and with Oscan
and IJmbrian is that within structural requirements of each, the
second element of the kit combination, if considered as a separate
consonant, could never be interpreted as a voiced continuant, but
only as the b phoneme.
ROBERT L. POLITZER
Harvard University

STENDHAL, ALFRED DE MUSSET ET L'ORGUEIL

FEMININ

Dans la penetrante etude consacree par M. Frangois M

relations entre Stendhal. et Alfred de Musset, l'auteur fait un
rapprochement tres probant entre les lettres d'amour mises a con-
tribution par Julien Sorel pour faire la cour 'a Mme de Fervaques
et la collection de lettres citees par la Marquise dans 11 faut qu'une
porte soit ouverte ou fermere.' Nous avons suivi cette piste, et les
rapprochements que nous faisons, a notre tour, nous paraissent
dignes d'etre signales. Or, dans la delicieuse comedie de Musset,
la Marquise, apres avoir decrit les lettres dont nous venons de
parler, se declare excedee des fadaises que les hommes croient devoir
debiter aux jolies femmes. Lorsque, apres quelques ripostes acerees
de part et d'autre, le Comte insiste pour que la Marquise ecoute sa
de'claration, celle-ci s'irrite et ne lui donne pas le temps de s'expli-
quer. Elle le traite avec d'autant plus de rigueur qu'elle est
jalouse et qu'elle se meprend sur ses intentions. " Vous imaginez-
vous que je vais etre votre maitresse, et heriter de vos chapeaux

I Henri Martineau et Frangois Michel, Nouvelles soirees du Stendhal-Club

(Paris: Mercure de France, 1950), p. 43.

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